Austin’s power line upgrades on hold following ERCOT decision

Austin Energy, the utility provider for Austin, has cancelled or delayed 29 projects to upgrade or repair transmission lines since September due to a lack of local power generation available to take those lines offline, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The projects involve high-voltage paths that move power into Austin, and require permission from ERCOT, which must confirm the grid can handle a temporary outage. Both Austin Energy and ERCOT agree that more transmission capacity is needed, but also that growing demand means the system needs more local generation too.